Konnie Huq

Getting the spot of 'Blue Peter' changed the path of my life.

My first ever interview for 'Blue Peter' was a film with JK Rowling.

I have thick hair which is like Plasticine - it's mouldable. So I'll fashion it into some creation that looks presentable. I often wear it down because I have a tiny head and small face, and my hair adds volume to help disguise my pinhead.

My husband Charlie says I get ready five minutes before I go out the door. I am one of those people who can't do anything unless it's imminent - that's how I roll.

We as parents, and the control culture, it is our responsibility to make sure we give the right perceived norms and the right cultural conditions.

The internet creates a mask and you are talking to people who you don't necessarily know.

Economics is a good degree to have but the subject is very theoretical at Cambridge and I found it frustrating that you can't apply a lot of the models to particular circumstances.

My A-levels were physics, chemistry and maths. Science is fascinating but I wouldn't say I have used it since then. I decided to do economics.

When I was in the sixth form I presented a cable and satellite programme about music, television and video. I used to do public speaking competitions.

At eight or nine I passed the exam for Notting Hill and Ealing High, a private school. I had an assisted place; I was always the one who, for financial reasons, didn't go on the skiing trip or whatever.

I'm really not aware of much press. I could drive myself mental if I went on the internet. I'd probably overanalyse it anyway. There's so much media that I'd feel bombarded, so I don't pay it much attention.

Journalists know other journalists - that's the only reason my engagement made it into the papers. I don't think real people are interested - just the media, just Twitter!

I guess when you're on 'Blue Peter' there's that goody-two-shoes image which people find attractive.

Food lovers tend to make life difficult for themselves on their travels. It's like travelling first class, if your expectations are so high, you're bound to be disappointed.

I remember being in Vietnam in my early 20s, at the height of Lonely Planet's fame, and all the travellers would converge on internet cafes to send emails back home. It was a great place to exchange tips and recommendations, so you actually interacted with people.

My dad moved to Britain from Bangladesh in the 1960s to work as an actuary for Prudential. However, after seeing an empty retail space in Soho, he decided to open an Asian restaurant instead, despite not having any business experience.

I'm the youngest of three children and grew up in Ealing, west London. My eldest sister, Nutun, is nine years older than me, and my middle sister, Rupa, is three years older.

An emergency on the labour ward needs to be addressed within minutes or else lifelong disability or even death can follow for the baby or mother.

Back in humanity's hunter-gatherer days, you only ate meat if you'd recently made a kill, which required a huge amount of effort, and was therefore relatively rare. There's a reason humans only have one set of incisors to rip our meat apart: we're not supposed to eat the stuff at every meal.

The one thing more important to my parents than my career is that I am happily married.